Home/ There’s A Beauty / Chapter 104 (Part 2)
“General, did you hear that? Your docile and obedient puppy can be just as ruthless as you!” Liu Wen sighed, rubbing his slightly cold neck.
Meng Changye’s eyes flickered several times. “How do you know that was my puppy? What if he and Emperor Chun are truly two different people?”
“What if he’s faking it? Two souls in one body— only fools and little children would believe that kind of nonsense, yet you still believe it so readily. Beauty truly does corrupt people.” Liu Wen lifted the tent flap and waved for several deputy generals to come in.
The deputy generals were all contorted with rage, their faces filled with murderous intent, clearly enraged by Emperor Chun’s words.
“General, I will bring them back immediately for punishment.” Liu Chuanshan bowed respectfully.
“Wait a moment,” Meng Changye said, “Send a few skilled assassins to follow them and see where they’re going and what they’re up to.” Meng Changye’s mind kept flashing with the image of the puppy’s clear, black-and-white eyes, and he couldn’t bring himself to make a decision.
The deputy generals obeyed and left.
Liu Wen also wanted to leave, but seeing the general’s dejected and lonely figure hidden in the darkness, with a hint of vulnerability, he hesitated for a moment before slowly speaking, “General, if you truly can’t let go of Emperor Chun, just bring him back and confine him for life. It’s just betrayal, nothing serious.”
“How do you know he betrayed me? That person was Emperor Chun, it was definitely not my puppy. He wouldn’t be so heartless.” However, Meng Changye had to admit that when Emperor Chun spoke those cruel words in that familiar voice and with that affectionate face, his heart ached terribly, and he almost couldn’t continue his act.
“Alright, even if they are two people, so what? Think about it. What man in the world would willingly submit to another man? The only reason he’s so subservient to you is to save his life. Once he has a chance to escape, he’ll leave without looking back. It’s human nature. Don’t be so stubborn. Do you expect him to have any real feelings for you?”
Meng Changye’s face turned extremely ugly, and veins bulged on the back of his hand gripping the hilt of his sword. He couldn’t refute the military strategist’s words.
Originally, his relationship with the puppy was just an exchange of interests. He protected him, and the puppy gave his body, but he had unknowingly been bewitched, forgetting how fragile their emotional foundation was. Once a corner collapsed, everything would vanish into thin air.
When the puppy wakes up tomorrow and finds himself free from his constraints, he’ll probably be overjoyed. Thinking of this, Meng Changye gritted his teeth, forcibly suppressing the immense pain that suddenly welled up in his heart.
Ah, it seems the more he tries to comfort the general, the more he hurts him! But a short time of pain is better than a lifetime of pain; the general will just have to endure it. Liu Wen shook his head, lifted the tent flap, and left unhurriedly.
Chang Shun was certain that General Huwei wouldn’t dare openly arrest people in towns under the jurisdiction of other vassal lords, so he fled with Emperor Chun overnight, arriving at the city gate at the crack of dawn. He paid the entrance fee with the copper coins he had plundered.
Fortunately, Jin State was in chaos, with vassal lords fighting amongst themselves, and the household registration system was long gone. Even without a travel permit, as long as enough silver was paid, one could travel freely.
Chang Shun found an inn to stay. He had just helped Emperor Chun to bed when he saw the emperor fast asleep, clutching his pillow and snoring softly, clearly exhausted. Chang Shun wiped the other party’s feet clean and covered him with the blanket, then sat up against the edge of the bed and lay down.
Three hours later, You Shu slowly woke up and found himself in an unfamiliar room, his nerves immediately tense.
“Chang Shun, where are we?” He asked, shaking the person who was sleeping soundly by the bedside.
“Ah? Oh, we’re in Qinglin Town. This is General Guo’s territory. General Huwei wouldn’t dare come here. Your Majesty, please rest assured, everything is alright. Are you hungry? This servant will bring you some food.”
With just a few words, You Shu realized that Chang Shun must have escaped with Emperor Chun. But how could that be possible? Two thousand elite troops couldn’t even hold two prisoners; his master’s army couldn’t be so useless! Furthermore, how did they escape? Forcing their way out was impossible; could they have been drugged?
Thinking of this, he tentatively asked, “Where are we going next? Will we be caught?”
“The drug’s effects probably haven’t worn off by now. We have two hours. After breakfast, we’ll buy boat tickets and head downstream to Mao county. The waterway is several times faster than the land route; they won’t catch us,” Chang Shun said, peering out the window.
So they were indeed drugged. Once the effects wear off, they’ll catch us. It must be some kind of sleeping potion. You Shu felt relieved and waved his hand, saying, “I’m not leaving. You can escape on your own.”
“Your Majesty, what did you say?” Chang Shun turned back in disbelief.
“I said I’m not leaving. You can escape on your own. Do you have any silver? Lend me some first. Leave a strand of your hair as proof, and I’ll pay you back later.” You Shu didn’t intend to deal with the eunuch, firstly because this person meant no harm, and secondly because he had cared for Emperor Chun for many years, which was also equivalent to taking care of his own body.
Chang Shun piled the looted silver on the table and whispered, “Your Majesty, take as much as you want, don’t worry about paying it back. However, don’t be foolish enough to think you’re safe here; what if General Huwei sends spies to catch us?”
“I have my own arrangements. The Jin Kingdom is gone, you don’t need to serve me anymore. Take the silver and go home.” You Shu picked out two silver ingots and went into the room.
Chang Shun was an orphan, with no home outside the palace. Where else could he go? Besides, he had been trained for many years and developed a strong sense of servility, and he wouldn’t leave even if he was chased with a stick.
You Shu had no choice but to let him come along. The two first bought a lot of yellow talisman paper, then went to a clinic to get a lot of strange Chinese medicine, finally returning to the inn near dusk.
Emperor Chun naturally wouldn’t take the wooden figurine with him when he escaped, so You Shu had to carve another one. He finally understood: as long as Emperor Chun wasn’t eliminated, he would cause endless trouble. Drugging the soldiers and their departure this time must have enraged his master; the goodwill he had painstakingly built up was probably now in negative numbers.
You Shu’s face was ashen. He casually carved a mold and placed it on the table, then wrote Emperor Chun’s eight characters on yellow talisman paper and pasted it to his forehead, preparing to cast the Soul Transfer Technique. Chang Shun had already been rushed to the next room and a protective array had been set up to guard against uninvited guests.
The Soul Transfer Technique is a high-level spell that consumes a lot of spiritual energy. You Shu’s spiritual energy was sealed, and although it is recovering by every day, the pace was incredibly slow, completely insufficient to support the completion of the spell. He had to rely on the array.
But he quickly discovered something amiss: the light from the array was being absorbed by his body, transforming into a more solid seal, ensuring the other soul wouldn’t be expelled. This kind of soul-binding technique was definitely not the work of an ordinary Taoist priest; it was more like the methods of those underworld ghost immortals.
His master had once been the King of the Underworld, and You Shu had some knowledge of the magic of those ghost immortals. He quickly realized that in his current state, he couldn’t possibly expel the other soul within his body. There were only two options: first, wait until his power returned to its peak before trying again; second, find the culprit and have them remove the spell.
The first option is more practical, but who knows how many years that will take? The second is simply a pipe dream. Ghost immortals come and go without a trace, where can he find them? Should he use a soul-separating talisman to send his soul to the underworld? But his master is no longer the King of the Underworld, and no one can guarantee he will be able to return alive. If he fails to return, won’t this body become someone else’s property?
You Shu couldn’t bear such consequences and could only choose to endure. He threw the wooden carving into the fire pit, watching it burn to ashes inch by inch, before finally picking up his brush to draw a talisman.
No one could guess what was hidden in the underground palace. In order to protect his master, he naturally had to make sufficient preparations: Fire Talismans, Thunder Talismans, Ghost-repelling Talismans… dozens of each of the most powerful talismans were made, just to have a certain foundation to protect themselves.
Meanwhile, Meng Changye, who was dozing off, heard the sound of birds flapping their wings and immediately opened his eyes. A gray carrier pigeon fluttered down onto the back of his hand, a thin bamboo tube tied to its ankle.
“Where are they planning to escape to? I bet they’re going downstream to Mao county. They should be boarding the ship soon, right?” Liu Wen said confidently.
“If they don’t board soon, it’ll be too late,” A deputy general sneered.
Meng Changye ignored them, focusing intently on reading the note. After reading it a few times, he finally exhaled a sigh of relief. “They didn’t escape. They’re still in town. After the puppy woke up, he bought the things he wrote for me yesterday and has been staying inside the room ever since.”
“Heh, he is still putting on a show even when no one’s watching!” Liu Chuanshan sneered.
Liu Wen pondered for a moment and said, “Could it be that I guessed wrong? At this point, there’s no need for him to put on an act for us. Wouldn’t it be much easier for him to escape? Qinglin Town isn’t entirely safe. We can’t make a big fuss to arrest people, but sending in a few spies is extremely easy.” If it were him, or any other smart person in the world, they wouldn’t hesitate to leave.
Meng Changye breathed a slight sigh of relief and wiped his sword as he ordered, “If you’re going to arrest people, wait until they get on the ship. Let the spies stay hidden and not make any big moves.” By then, he could finally give up hope, break the puppy’s legs, and see how he could escape then.
Liu Wen accepted the order and wrote a secret letter, which he sent by pigeon to Qinglin Town.
Half an hour later, another message came from down the mountain, which greatly surprised everyone. But it turned out that Emperor Chun not only did not run, but also climbed up the mountain directly after leaving the city gate. They didn’t know what medicine he was selling in his gourd.
However, his eunuch had a normal mind and tried to persuade him all the way. In the end, he hugged Emperor Chun’s legs and rolled around on the ground, throwing a tantrum. Even so, he couldn’t stop Emperor Chun’s footsteps.
When the flying pigeon delivered the message to Meng Changye, Emperor Chun had already walked to the foot of the mountain and was squatting on the ground, panting heavily.
Meng Changye couldn’t hold back any longer. He grabbed his sword and rushed down the mountain. Everyone initially thought that he was extremely angry and might kill Emperor Chun, or at least break his legs. However, when they reached the foot of the mountain, they were all greatly disappointed.
The general, who had just been as fierce as a tiger unleashed, instantly softened upon meeting Emperor Chun’s bright smile. His raised eyebrows lowered, his dark complexion flushed, his sinister eyes brightened, and he seemed to melt away like an ice cube dropped into boiling water, leaving only wisps of ethereal aura floating up and down.
“Why the hell aren’t you running anymore? Keep running, and I’ll break your legs!” Though he said these words, he had already crouched down, scolding, “Hurry up and get on, I’ll carry you!”
“General, it was Emperor Chun who wanted to run, not me.” You Shu looked extremely aggrieved, finally whispering in his master’s ear, “I… I haven’t even warmed your bed yet.”
“You’re clever enough to know what’s good for you!” Meng Changye’s ears turned bright red, steam rising from his head. In order to hide his embarrassment, he couldn’t help but give the boy’s chubby buttocks a hard slap.
Hearing a crisp sound, everyone turned their attention to him, but it also touched his nerves. He cursed viciously, “What are you looking at? Get the hell out of here! A bunch of troublemakers! Oh, and tie that damned eunuch up. When we get back, I’ll skin him alive!”
Who said that the puppy had no feelings for him? If he didn’t have any feelings, why would he have come back on his own? His puppy clearly loves him to death!
Next
Leave a Reply